Dani’el’s Witness
2: 24-30
Dani’el’s witness DIG: How would you summarize Chapter 2 up to this point? Why could Arioch stop the slaughter of the wise men? Compare Dani’el and Nebuchadnezzar to Joseph and Pharaoh in Genesis 41. How are they the same? How are they different? When did the last days begin? When will it end? Does that give you hope or fear? What do you think you’ll be doing?
REFLECT: What keeps us from remembering to praise God for answers to our prayers, as Dani’el did? What kind of magic, myths, and mysticism compete with God’s Word today, as the magicians competed with Dani’el in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court? Do you take credit for the good things you have done in your life? Or do you give the glory to God? What is the Times of the Gentiles?
ADONAI begins to reveal to Dani’el the initial revelation regarding the Times of the Gentiles (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). He provides an initial overview of the four empires that will govern this period. As the book progresses, God’s revelation becomes increasingly specific, reaching their climax in Chapter 12.
To summarize the events of Chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had a dream (2:1). He summoned his wise men to interpret the dream for him, but they admitted that they were incapable of doing so (2:5-6). They declared that the task was impossible because the gods, who give such dreams, do not live among humans (2:11). Furious, Nebuchadnezzar sentenced all of his wise men to death, a fate which included Dani’el and his three friends, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael (2:12-13). But when Dani’el learned of the decree, he asked the king for more time and went to the LORD in prayer, seeking the dream and its interpretation (2:16-18). God answered his prayer and gave him both the dream and its meaning; thus, Dani’el responded with praise and thanksgiving (2:19-23).62
As the proverbial saying goes, “When tyrants suffer from bad dreams, ADONAI is at work.” Nebuchadnezzar apparently agrees but does not know how ADONAI is at work. And so this walking paradox of power and fear wonders whether he has had a dream or a nightmare, and he won’t know unless he finds out what it means. However, His dream turns out to be God’s vehicle of communication to the pagan king, and actually describes the LORD’s plan for the world.63 But someone must make sense of it all. So this brings us to the point where Dani’el went to the king to interpret the dream for him.
The picture of the servant of ADONAI standing before the lords of the earth to bear witness to God’s truth is one that can be seen regularly in Scripture. Consider, for example, the stories of Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Yeshua, Peter, John, and Paul. Dani’el’s life is similarly set in contrast with the ungodly. This contrast between God’s servants and worldly rulers reveals a pattern in the witness of faithful men and women down through the ages. Although Joseph, John the Baptist, Isaiah, and Peter had very different personalities, we find some characteristics repeatedly emerging in their stories. The reason is simple enough: They were men whose lives were filled and controlled by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh both before and after the Incarnation.64
Once again we see the wisdom and tact of Dani’el as he immediately went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the magi of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the magi of Babylon” because God had revealed to him both the dream and its interpretation (2:24). Dani’el never heard the Sermon on the Mount (see The Life of Christ, to see link click Da – The Sermon on the Mount), but he knew how to treat his enemies and was willing to rescue the pagan advisers. Since Arioch was the chief executioner (2:14), he had the authority to stop the process and save the lives of all the wise men in the city of Babylon.65
Arioch took Dani’el to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means” (2:25). Actually, Arioch did nothing of the sort. He was ready to execute Dani’el, along with the rest of the magi. It was Dani’el who found Arioch, not the other way around. However, Arioch was eager to claim at least some of the credit for the stunning turn of events. But Dani’el wasn’t the kind of person who worried about who got the credit as long as ADONAI got the glory.
According to royal protocol, Dani’el could not speak until the king addressed him. The king asked Dani’el, also called Belteshazzar (1:6-7), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” The king’s question was tinged with skepticism. In his reply, Dani’el spoke with great grace and boldness. He had a sense of taste, but he also had a sense of righteousness. He was not afraid to use the kind of language that had previously enraged Nebuchadnezzar.66 Dani’el immediately gave all the glory to ADONAI. Then Dani’el replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magi, or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets (2:26-28a).
The apostle Paul tells us that at the end of time, during God’s righteous judgment (see the commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment), He will judge men’s secrets through Yeshua Messiah, as the Gospel declares (Romans 2:16). The Revealer of Secrets is coming. To the righteous, Yeshua will hold you in His arms and explain to you why that darling child of yours died. He will explain why your spouse turned to another. He will explain why you became ill before your time. He will explain why your child turned to a homosexual lifestyle. He will explain why, when you were doing the will of God like Job, your life came crashing down around you. Humanly, you will never be able to understand it. But when the Revealer of Secrets explains it to you, everything will become clear. ADONAI is too wise to make a mistake and too loving to be unkind. To the ungodly, it means every liar will be publicly exposed. Every pedophile will answer for every child he has ever molested. Who killed your family member? The Revealer of Secrets knows. Every abortionist will have to answer to the Revealer of Secrets. No one will be able to bluff their way into heaven.67
Explicit in Dani’el’s witness was the superiority of Ha’Shem’s wisdom over all the “magical arts” practiced by the king’s wise men. Implicit was the supremacy of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob over the gods of the Babylonian pantheon worshipped by the royal magi.68
Continuing, Dani’el explained: He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the end times, or the far eschatological future (2:28b). The term end times (latter days, last days or days to come) is found frequently in Scripture, beginning in Genesis 49:1 and ending with Second Peter 3:3. Our Lord ushered in the last days with His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven (Hebrews 1:2 and First Peter 1:20), so we are now living in the period of time when God is “wrapping things up.” YHVH has plans for Isra’el (Genesis 49:1; Deuteronomy 31:29, which will climax with Messiah returning to earth and being received by His people Hosea 3:5; Micah 4;1; Joel 2:28-29). The last days for the invisible Church, made up of Jewish and Gentile believers (Ephesians 2:14), include perilous times (Second Timothy 3:1), the apostasy of many, and the rise of scoffers who deny the truth (Second Peter 3:1ff); and this period will end when Messiah takes His Church to heaven (First Thessalonians 4:13-18).69
Dani’el interpreted the king’s dream and the circumstance by rehearsing for Nebuchadnezzar his troubled mind as he lay in his bed on the night of the dream. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: “As your majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the Revealer of Secrets showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this secret has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that your majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind (2:28c-30).
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream covered the prophetic panorama of Gentile history from his time until the future subjugation of Gentile powers during the thousand-year Messianic Kingdom (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). This dream was given to the king of Babylon, the first of many Gentile rulers who would exert power by divine appointment during the Times of the Gentiles. YHVH was not revealing spiritual truth to Nebuchadnezzar, but facts concerning the political domination that Gentiles would exercise.70 But at the same time, and through the same events, God was dealing with Nebuchadnezzar.
As Ian Duguid relates in his commentary on Dani’el, there is a model here for all of us in our relationships with those who do not know our God. In contrast to the self-promoting way of the world, we should constantly seek occasions to exalt and declare publicly the praises of our God. Whatever gifts and abilities we have, whatever successes we may meet with in all life, all of them are ultimately the work of the One who gave us those gifts and opportunities, along with the diligence and perseverance to pursue them. We are simply ADONAI’s servants, doing the work he has assigned to us, He deserves all of the praise and adoration. The biblical word for this attitude is humility: the perspective that sees our own size rightly in comparison to the surpassing greatness of our God.
One caution is important at this point, we need to look away from ourselves and look towards Yeshua. He shows us genuine humility at work in His constant attitude of dependance upon His heavenly Father. Messiah shows us authentic humbleness of heart that turns away from the spotlight and the position of glory to serve the outcast and the unacceptable, the lepers and shameful sinners. The Lord of all eternity demonstrated that servant’s heart all the way to a humiliating death on the cross, despised and spat upon, abandoned and alone. When I think about His humility, I am humbled at my own feeble attempts. Paradoxically, as I look at the humility of Messiah, only then can I gain a true perspective on my own place in God’s work. When I see the richness of His grace shown to me, a sinner, then real humility can start to grow. This same genuine humility that shone from Dani’el’s life, a humility that enabled him to give all the glory to ADONAI for revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king, and not to take any of the credit for himself.71
Dear Heavenly Father, praise You for always having steadfast love for me. Praise ADONAI, for He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever (Psalms 136:1). What comfort it is to be able to run to You with any problem and to seek Your wisdom and help. You are always available to listen to and to help me (Psalms 4:3). You don’t get too busy nor do you go away on a trip. For God Himself has said: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5c). Your wisdom is infinite and even knows the number of the hairs on my head. Aren’t five sparrows being sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows (Luke 12:6-7). Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Lovingkindness and truth go before You (Psalms 89:14). How awesome that You rule with complete truth and honesty. Thank You for being so wise, available and loving. It delights me to serve You, even in hard times. Soon earth’s trials and problems will be over, and then there will be an everlasting time of joy and peace living in heaven with You. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen
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